The latest episode of Junkie XL’s Studio Time series takes a look at his soundtrack scoring rig.
In the video, Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL, demonstrates and discusses some of the technical aspects of his scoring rig, including his 6 studio setups, Cubase systems, VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) systems, using remote access to view and configure his systems, and the server room.
For more on Holkenborg’s approach, see the interview Junkie XL & The Art Of Scoring With Synthesizers.
The Singularity is here.
well Id love to be the it guy in there ^^
Another article about Junky XL. What a pleasant surprise.
These aren’t articles. They’re links to videos where he describes his complex studio setup and his workflow. They’re very useful. This isn’t typically knowledge you’d find lying around.
Great setup of course, but how can he stand the dust sticking to those servers?
Vsl? Virtual sound library?
Vienna Symphonic Library, the company developing the VEP (Vienna Ensemble Pro) which is the software allowing to run VST plugins and large sample libraries (Kontakt, Eastwest and such) to remote computers (servers) and fully integrated in your DAW main computer.
Has he done a video yet on the underbelly of all this stuff? Are all (or most) of the instruments visible in that room ready to monitor/record at any time? Are all of the MIDI controllable boxes available as destinations with cubasis?
How long does it take to turn all of that stuff on? 🙂
Maybe he covered that in the template video,
I’m probably wrong but I don’t think any of it gets turned off unless there’s a doctors appointment.
The servers and computers are running all the time. The hardware synths and sound modules are only turned on when he needs them. However, they’re all connected and accessible at all time once they’re turned on. He has midi and audio “router” to select which hardware samplers or synths he wants to use. If you look the “hardware samplers” video, you can have a quick view of the selector/mixer.
Thanks Kaleb and Spidouz.
Interesting that he drives his video with Protools (which I’ve never found completely fab with video). Would have thought a third party like Videoslave ..
Nice to see the machine room. Fantastic set up.
It’s because most of Hollywood movies he’s working on are still mixed on Protools. By having a Protools video/mixer computer, it allows him to deliver directly his work to the proper format for the producers and movie editors.
Most of movie composers like him (such Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams and such) are using the exact same configuration: One main Windows Cubase computer, some multiple Sample/Plugins servers (VSL VEP) and one main Mac Protools computer for the video and mix of all audio stems from Cubase and Servers.
Maybe it is time to change the name of this website. I suggest Tomstopia.
Sadly for you, Niels, your comment is 7 years too late:
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/04/05/use-an-ipad-as-a-midi-controller-with-ableton-live/#comment-155270
wow synthhead. well done with the searching man 🙂 Sadly I don’t own an iPad. But Tom will like the comparison.